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Towards a community with shared future

By Hujjatullah Zia | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-06-21 17:45
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Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and People’s Government of Yunnan province hosted the 6th China-South and Southeast Asia Think-Tank Forum (CSSATTF) themed “Building a Community with Shared Future for Humanity – Deepening China’s Pragmatic Cooperation with the South and Southeast Asian Countries”. The forum was held in Kunming, capital of Southwest China’s Yunnan province, on June 14.

The idea of “a community with shared future for mankind” was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Moscow State of Institute of International Relations in 2013 to proclaim the aspiration of Chinese nation in establishing a harmonious world where all could live peacefully with the spirit of brotherhood.

Since then, the idea has been brought up by President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, several times at national and international events, including the 19th National Congress of the CPC, and won wide approval.

To build a community with shared future, President Xi urges the world to seek common ground and settle the conflicts through communication rather than confrontation and partnership rather than alliance.

The concept of such a society sounds ambitious and challenging; however, this dream is most likely to come true via practicing upon the following principles:

Seeking common ground:

We live in “the global village” and share a common destiny. The outbreak of a disease jeopardizes the life of all, the economic crisis hurts prosperity everywhere, the danger of nuclear attacks threatens all nations, the operation of extremists puts the life of all at risk, and the violent death of an individual outrages the collective conscience.

One will remember vividly the image of 3-year-old Syrian boy Alan Kurdi who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on September 2, 2015. The photo shocked the public conscience regardless of religious, racial or ethnic background. It demonstrates that we live in the global village and one’s pain and sufferings will hurt the feelings of all nations around the world. To put into the words of President Xi, “Everyone has in himself a little bit of others”. Therefore, we have to seek common ground and promote the spirit of brotherhood to live in peace and harmony.

Practicing upon international principles:

“Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” has been declared the mainstay of peace and liberty by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). That is to say, all members of the human family will have to respect and protect the natural and inviolable rights and dignity of individuals and support the principle of “non-discrimination”.

To maintain peace and harmony, all countries have to advocate the fundamental rights, i.e., the rights to life, liberty and property, of all individuals as well as “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion” which are stated in the UDHR.

If all members of human family respect the rights, liberty and dignity of the human person without any discrimination, there will be no room left for hostility and disagreement.

On the contrary, violating international principles and encroaching on individual’s rights and liberties and discriminating them on the basis of their sex, color, and race will narrow the room for peaceful coexistence. Indeed, “contempt for human rights has resulted in barbarous acts” throughout the history.

Upholding the golden rule:

Practicing upon the “golden rule” which says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is a blueprint for building a peaceful and harmonious society. The golden rule says that one must be treated on the basis of being human – no matter what faith and belief they cherish or which racial or ethnic background they belong to. This truth transcends nations and peoples and beats in the heart of billions.

The golden rule is highly significant in both individual and collective life. Members of human family will have to practice upon this truth to build a utopian society with shared destiny. In fact, acting upon this truth and ethical code will put an end to one’s ideological dogma and egotistic and ethnocentric mentalities and will necessarily pave the ground for tolerance, peace and harmony.

Conclusion:

I believe that China holds within it the truth that all should be able to exercise their rights, liberties and dignity without being discriminated on the grounds of their caste, color or creed.

China’s further reform and opening-up shows that she is intent on extending people-to-people exchanges and state-to-state friendly relations. Chinese officials are of the view that win-win cooperation, peaceful development and common prosperity will be achieved only through dialogue, partnership and mutual respect.

A community with shared future is not compatible with the idea of “only my backyard” or “America first”. The zero-sum game or winner-take-all mindset are contrary to a community with shared destiny in which win-win result and peaceful development are pursued relentlessly.

In brief, seeking common ground, upholding universal principles, moral values and golden rule will lead to building a community with shared future, which is championed by Chinese government. To maintain global peace and build a civil, harmonious and prosperous society – where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity – members of human family will have to exercise tolerance, respect the inherent rights and liberties of all individuals and treat one another with the spirit of brotherhood.

The author is an Afghan journalist and freelance writer based in Beijing.

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